KS1234 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 My daughter leaves school this year, she has predicted A's and A* and already has an A in maths (which she completed last year) and therefore this year has basically done half an A level in maths also. She applied to do her A levels in maths, business studies etc (maybe due to my encouragement) and was planning to then go onto university. Now today she suddenly tells me she doesnt want to do her A levels, she wants to do a course in hair and beauty. I'm really not happy, I've looked at the courses and the entry requirements are 4 GCSE's at grade E or above. Just seems like such a waste when she will have all these qualifications on leaving school. Am I wrong in wanting her to do her A levels or should I leave her to choose what she wants to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olders82 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 it is a wast , id just sit down with her and talk bout it , tell her that at the end of it its not gunna bring her alot of money , she be better off doing a levels then maybe uni better start in life , i myself at 29 have so meny regrates that i dint do much better , wot if she starts it and like it , try not to sound like your telling her what to do advising her , good luck .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Vader Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Ask her to do a list of pros and cons of both options, and you do the same, and then sit and compare your reasons - and maybe you'll both learn something about each others reasons, and it will only help. At least then, if she's still adamant about it, you'll both have made your reasons clear - but tell her she must be honest! - And if it's all about a lad, and she doesn't want to move away from him - she can always reassess the situation after she's done her A'levels.....(if he's still on the scene). Also, maybe compromise and tell her that if she insists on doing the hair and beauty route, you want to see her commitment - and arrange for her to work in a salon on saturdays startin ASAP (so she gets a dose of reality in a salon), even if it's unpaid experience, to give her a taste of what it's really like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiritangel1 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 But on theother hand if you let her do the course she wants and is happy rather than force her to do something she hates.Whats to stop her doing the Uni thing later? I had a few jobs when i was younger and no interest in going higher,I eventually did my degree at 42 after i had children so it didnt hurt me waiting to get qualifications,i had some horrible jobs though working at Bassetts factory ughhhhhh i hated it,but it stood me in good stead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS1234 Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 Ask her to do a list of pros and cons of both options, and you do the same, and then sit and compare your reasons - and maybe you'll both learn something about each others reasons, and it will only help. At least then, if she's still adamant about it, you'll both have made your reasons clear - but tell her she must be honest! - And if it's all about a lad, and she doesn't want to move away from him - she can always reassess the situation after she's done her A'levels.....(if he's still on the scene). Also, maybe compromise and tell her that if she insists on doing the hair and beauty route, you want to see her commitment - and arrange for her to work in a salon on saturdays startin ASAP (so she gets a dose of reality in a salon), even if it's unpaid experience, to give her a taste of what it's really like! It's not about boys, I think she has just had enough of academic work to be honest, I didn't do well at school, I went back after having children and am now a qualified secondary teacher so I think she see's this as a route she can go down at any time instead of doing it now while she's still young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Vader Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 It's not about boys, I think she has just had enough of academic work to be honest, I didn't do well at school, I went back after having children and am now a qualified secondary teacher so I think she see's this as a route she can go down at any time instead of doing it now while she's still young. Well she's not going to achieve the results she's capable of in her A'levels is she, if the motivation isn't there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattricia Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 My daughter leaves school this year, she has predicted A's and A* and already has an A in maths (which she completed last year) and therefore this year has basically done half an A level in maths also. She applied to do her A levels in maths, business studies etc (maybe due to my encouragement) and was planning to then go onto university. Now today she suddenly tells me she doesnt want to do her A levels, she wants to do a course in hair and beauty. I'm really not happy, I've looked at the courses and the entry requirements are 4 GCSE's at grade E or above. Just seems like such a waste when she will have all these qualifications on leaving school. Am I wrong in wanting her to do her A levels or should I leave her to choose what she wants to do? Let her follow the path that she is most interested in. If not she will not be happy. Dont forget even if she studies hair & beauty ,she can always take a job which is only slightly connected to that. Also she may want to go back later to follow a more academic path. Let her follow her heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah-Lacie Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I did very well at GCSE, but didn't want to go to college at all, I'd had enough of the academic stuff, so I just went and got a job... Can't really say I regret it now, as I actually don't, I either wouldn't have stuck at it, or I wouldn't have done well. My sister wanted to go to college and then university, to do a psychology and another course. She needed GCSE grade C's, but got a D in maths. So she spent her first college year redoing her GCSE maths course. She got an D again on her resit, and ended up giving up on doing her courses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blonde Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I think at 16 you are far too young to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. I went to Sixth form and studied an area that no longer interests me since becoming a mum, so I basically wasted two years of my life. The A-levels rarely get you a job unless you carry on to Uni after. Saying this, a few friends from school went on to study Hair and beauty and enjoyed it but couldn't get work after so went on to find work elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshgirl Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I totally agree with you that education is important and I understand your concerns as a parent. I definitely think you need to talk to your daughter though - you don't seem sure of her reasons for making this choice, and although you've said it's sudden, it may be something she's been wanting to do for a while (you mentioned in your original post that she might have been doing Business originally to keep you happy). It takes a lot of motivation to get good A level results and if it's not what she wants to do, then it'll be an unhappy and potentially unsuccessful time for her. Is it really so bad to go in to the beauty business? - if she can get an apprenticeship somewhere she'll be a better off than a lot of graduates out there! I did well academically, but it's taken me quite a few years to really work out what I want to do (by trying different jobs), and I'm currently back at Uni doing a Masters I would never have considered doing after I initially graduated, so having some time to work things out has really worked for me. It must be really hard being a mum and seeing your child making a choice you don't think is in their best interest, so my heart goes out to you. Definitely have a good chat and really talk it through. All the best for you both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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